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ALLEN D. LINN, or GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, AssIGNoR oF ONE-HALF 'ro GAIUs w. PERKINS., or SAME PLACE.

AAUTOMATIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,833, dated February 13, 1894. Application tiled December 23, 1892. Serial No. 456,199. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that l, ALLEN D. LINN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Fire-EX- tinguishers, of which the followingis a specieation.

My invention relates to improvements in Io' that class of fire extinguishers in which a supply vof water under pressure is held in check by valves heldin place by compressed air, and are unseated by the escape of the air through apertures formed in the air pipe, by I5 the melting of fusible plugs, and its objects are: first, to bring the lever and weight that actuates the lower, or water valve, entirely within the valve chamber; and, second, to provide an automatic ire extinguisher in 'zo which the water will flow through the valves with the least possible degree of friction. I attain these results by the mechanism illustrated in the Aaccompanying drawings in which z5 Figure l, is a side elevation of my valve chamber with a portion of the wall cut away to show the relative position of the lower valve lever and the upper valve stem. Fig. 2, is a front elevation of the same with the 3o plate removed to show the position of the valves, and their attachments. Fig. 3, is a plan of the lower valve lever; and Fig. 4, is a modification of the valve stem D detached.

Similar letters refer tosimilar parts throughout the several views.

The valve chamber B is divided into two compartments B and B2 separated by a partition b having a valve-way C. The lower compartment B is considerably the larger of 4o the two and is closed against the inliow of water from the water pipe A, by a direct acting valve C which is seated directly over the water supply pipe, and is held in place by an angle lever E pivoted by one arm to the upper end of the valve stem D at d, and by another arm to the link E as at e3; the opposite end of thelink being pivoted to the upper wall of the compartment as at e4 so that it may swing back to the position indicated 5o by the dotted lines E2 when the lever E is raised and the valve is opened. The lever E projects out at, or nearly at right angles with the line of the valve stem D and the link E toward, and beyond the stern D of the upper valve, and is divided at the outer end as shown in Figs. l and 3, so that one arm of the division will pass at each side of the valve stem Dland the point of division will stand in position to interlock with the catch or projection cl2 on the valve stem, and holdthe 6o link E in line to force the valve C, solidly upon its seat and preventthe inflow of water from the water pipe, the valve stem D being held down to secure the lever E by. the pressure of air upon the Valve C.. The angle arm E4 of the lever stands at a slight incline from the perpendicular when the valve C is seated; thus carrying the lower end of the link E slightly to one side of the direct lineof the valve stem D so that when 7o the lever E is released the pressure of the water upon the lower surface of the valve C will force the link over to the position indicated by the dotted lines E2 and the lever to the position indicated by the dotted lines E3, and allow the Valve to open, and the water to dow freely into the chamber; the position of the valve and its connection being such that as soon as the water pressure is removed from below, the valve will immediately fall to posi- 8o tion upon its seat; the valve stem being held in direct line by the bearings d4 and d5. To in sure the perfect seating of the valve I sometimes insert a rubber face o, upon the valve between 'its lower surface and its seat.

The catch d2 on the valve stem D may be a spring catch as indicated in Figs. l and 2, in which case the weight ofA the lever E, when falling to position, will spring it back so that the lever can drop below it without the ne- 9a cessity of raising the valve stem, and in this case the lever F F may be dispensed with, or the catch may be solidly attached to the stem, in which case it is necessary to use the arm F', or I may form a slot d3 in the lower 95 supportl as shown in Fig. 4t so that the valve stem may swing over as indicated by the dotted line d7. The position of the leverF is designed asa hand piece with which to manipulate the valve C whenrdesired, and the roo ball or weight H is designed to hang upon this arm of the lever to hold the valves up when desired, the lever being pivoted upon the shaft G', in the packing box G, and the inner end of the arm Fof the lever is pivoted to the top of the valve stem D as at f.

I place a second valve C', similar in construction to the valve C, in the upper compartment E2 upon the upper surface ofthe partition wall b, which has a long stem D that passes downward into the lower compartment I3 and is held in vertical position by the bearing d near its lower end and by the arm or link F at the upper end, when this link is used, and when the link is not used, by the bearing c2 in the valve-way C. This valve is held down upon its seat by the pressure of air inthe pipe A', said pipe and its connections having apertures at various places, as at d, seated with fusible plugs susceptible of being melted at a very low degree of heat, the melting of any one or more of which will allow the air to escape, in the usual manner; and as the pressure is withdrawn from the top of the valve plate C the pressure of water below the valve C will force both valves up until the lever E escapes from the catch or projection d2, as hereinbefore described, and the valves opened so that the Water under pressure will be free to iiow through the chamber and into the air pipe A and to escape through the ap ertures d therein, as with ordinary automatic fire extinguishers. The slight incline from the perpendicular, of the short arm E4 of the lever, between the upper end of the valve stem at d, and the lower end of the link at e3 so adjusts the lever that a slight pressure of air upon the top of the valve C', exerted upon the lever E through the medium of the catch or projection di will hold the valve C, firmly upon its seat against a high pressure of water, and yet the angle must be sufiicient to insure the immediate opening ot' the valves as soon as the pressure is removed from the chamber B2.

Vhen the pressure of the water below the valve C is slight I sometimes find it necessary to place the weight H upon the arm F to counterbalance the weight of the valves and assist to start them open, but ordinarily this is not necessary.

I provide for preventing the water from accumulating in the lower compartment by the use of an ordinary back pressure water-cock K', which will allow the water to drip out until pressure is admitted, when it will close in the usual way; and for drawing water out after the pressure has been removed, by an ordinary pet-cock K, or by pressing upon the valve stem of the watercock. The construction and action of both of these classes of cocks is so well known that I do not deem it necessary to enter into a detailed description of either of them.

I provide for t-lie escape of water from the compartment B2 by the use of an ordinary glass water gage J, having a iioat valve j that is held firmly upon its seat by the pressure of the air from the chamber B2, but iioats as soon as suiicient water enters the chamber, and, opening the valve allows the water to flow or drip out until it is so far exhausted as to allow the valve to be reseated and prevent the escape oi air.

When resetting my device after having been used, it is necessary: first, to seatthe valves properly, then introduce air, under pressure, into the air chamber untilsufiieient pressure is attained, which may be ascertained by the use of an ordinary steam gage I, when the water under pressure may be introduced into the water pipe A below the valve C. I prefer that 'when my appliance is set, the wa tei' cock K be left open, by pushing its valve stem in, for the purpose, first, of sustaining normal atmospheric pressure in the chamber; and, second, of allowing any water that may collect in the chamber to drip out. 0

I-Iaving thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. The combination in an automatic .lire extinguisher of a valve chamber divided into two compartments by a partition provided with a valve seated upon its upper surface, said valve having a stem extending down to near the bottom of the lower compartment and held in position by a bearing c1', and having a projection at one side in position to engage with, and hold the arm E, and the upper end provided with a guide, as the pivoted link F, a valve in the lower compartment, the stem of said valve guided by a bearing di and pivoted to an angle lever, an angle lever pivoted at one side tothe valve stem, at the other side to an oscillating link the longer arm of the lever extending out and engaging with the projection on the valve stem D substantially as, and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an automatic tire extinguisher a valve chamber divided into two compartments connected by a valve, a direct acting valve in the lower compartment, an angle lever held 1n place by the stem of the upper valve and pivoted between said lower valve and an oscillating link, an oscillating link pivoted to said angle lever and the upper wall of the chamber, a valve above whose stem projects down and engages with said angle lever, a spring projection upon said valve stein to engage said angle lever, and an oscillating link pivoted to said valve stein above the valve, and to the wall of the valve chamber substantially as specified, and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination in an automatic fire extinguisher of a valve chamber divided into an upper and a lower compartment connected by a valved opening as at C, a valve in the lower compartment, an oscillating link, an angle lever betweensaid valve and link and having an arm that engages with the upper valve stem, an upper valve adapted to automatically control the lower valve by the degree of air pressure in the upper chamber, an arm and a manipulating lever pivoted to IOO IIO

the wall of the upper chamber and to the valve stem, and automatic drip cocks for drawing water from the'chambers, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination in an automatic re extinguisher of a lower valve, an angle arm and an oscillating link, an upper valve having a long downwardly projecting stem supported at its lower end by a bearing, a projection upon the side of said stem, a link pivoted to the top of said stem and to the wall of the chamber, and an arm connected with said link and projecting out from said chamber substantially as specified.

5. The combination, in an automatic fire ALLEN D. LINN. I

In presence of- GEORGE H. WHITE, I. J. CILLEY. 

